If a successful quarter-century-long acting career, an Oscar and a Golden Globe, and a blooming production company weren’t enough, Reese Witherspoon has her hand in fashion, too, with her clothing line Draper James. For its February issue, Harper’s Bazaar tapped the beaut for the cover shot down in Nashville, with Witherspoon stunning in Michael Kors Collection. On the cusp of 40 (yes, really), the actress/producer spills about her 30 projects (you read that right, too), her Southern-fueled fashion brand, and her fear-filled 20s as a blockbuster star.

How she plans to celebrate 40…“You know, live music, eating, kids [with friends and family in Nashville]….I wanted to hike Machu Picchu. But then I was like, ‘Wait, I did enough hiking last year.’ I’m done with hiking for a minute.”

She’s over playing the girlfriend…“I want to get a female perspective on film that would make my daughter [Ava] understand what it means to be a woman in a different way.”

On her fashion foray, Draper James…
“Well, it comes from a lot of the same instincts about making movies. I saw an empty space. All these women in the South, they read fashion magazines, but nobody was telling the stories about their upbringing—their mothers, their grandmothers who love getting dressed up. It’s a feminine culture.”

She wasn’t always so fearless and bold…
“I’m much more open now. In my 20s, I was scared of everything. I didn’t know what my career was. I didn’t know why people liked my movies. I was wary of interacting with people. I was 25 when Legally Blonde came out, 26 for Sweet Home Alabama, and 29 for Walk the Line. And I was scared, really scared. Now I feel like a different person. It’s a great thing getting older. You are who you are; you say what you mean.”

Editor Pick

Got Tips?

About Us

Since its inception in 2003, The Daily Front Row and fashionweekdaily.com have been speaking directly to fashion's A-list insiders wherever they are—the front rows and runways of Fashion Week, the backyards of their Hamptons summer homes, their New York abodes, and their chicest travel destinations. The Daily is the only multichannel media brand that legitimately influences the influencers, 365 days a year. Experts agree: “You haven’t really made it in fashion until you’ve made it into The Daily!”